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Record of Proceedings

San José City Council Meeting - October 6, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, October 6, 2026
BodySan Jose, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:59:57

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:05

Oh, you got one.

0:07

Yeah,

Speaker 2

0:08

sorry.

Speaker 3

0:14

All right.

0:15

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:16

Welcome.

0:17

I'd like to call to order this city council meeting for the afternoon of October 6th.

0:22

Tony, would you please call the role?

Speaker 4

0:24

Come?

0:24

Campos.

0:25

Present Tordillos.

Speaker 3

0:26

Here.

Speaker 4

0:27

Cohen.

0:27

Here.

0:28

Ortiz.

0:28

Present.

Speaker 3

0:29

Here.

Speaker 4

0:30

Duan.

Speaker 3

0:30

Here.

Speaker 4

0:31

Kendallas.

Speaker 3

0:31

Here.

Speaker 4

0:32

Casey.

0:32

Here.

0:33

Foley.

0:33

Mayhem.

0:34

Here.

Unassigned speaker

0:35

You

Speaker 4

0:35

have a quorum.

Speaker 3

0:36

Thank you.

0:36

Once again, welcome.

0:37

Now, if you're able, please stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Speaker 4

0:45

To the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:51

One nation.

0:53

Indivisible with liberty and justice for

Unassigned speaker

0:56

all.

Speaker 3

1:00

All right, thank you.

1:02

Today's invoced by Karen Taylor, and Vice Mayor Foley will tell us

Unassigned speaker

1:08

more.

Speaker 5

1:09

Thank you, Mayor.

Unassigned speaker

1:11

I

Speaker 5

1:11

met Karen Taylor a few years ago when we participated in the American Leadership Forum in the class of 42, the best class.

1:19

Karen is a frank, honest woman.

1:22

She says what she means and means what she says.

1:25

At ALF, I found her to be inspiring and thought provoking.

1:34

Karen is retired a retired diversity officer, the current board chair for the Valley Health Foundation, and represents my district on the senior commission.

1:44

I am honored that she accepted my invitation to provide an invocation for us to kick off my last few invocations.

1:51

Karen, I look forward to your words.

1:53

Thanks

Speaker 6

1:54

for

Speaker 5

1:54

being here.

Speaker 6

1:55

Thank you so much, Vice Mayor Foley.

1:58

Thank you so much for inviting me, and thank you for being here.

2:01

So when Pam asked me to do this, the first thing I said was yes, and then I thought, oh no, what am I going to be talking about?

2:07

And so as I thought about what I wanted to talk about, I wanted to talk about leadership.

2:12

And so what I've decided to do today is leave you with a message of leadership, but I really think it's going to be something that can probably resonate beyond uh just this room and the people listening.

2:24

There seem to be a lot of complexities that plague the simple act of living today.

2:29

Food and gas prices are at an all-time high.

2:33

Social media has become the primary source for news and information for a lot of people, including about 85% of teens and young adults.

2:42

We are in the most most turbulent and daunting political climate we've ever experienced, and fear and uncertainty have driven us to unseen heights of hatred and division.

2:55

And yet, we have leaders like all of you in your teens who choose to show up every day to inspire, to support, to advocate for, and to connect with so we have happy, healthy, thriving communities.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Technology and Innovation████████████████████20%
Affordable Housing██████████████14%
Transportation Safety████████████12%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Comment█████████9%
Public Safety████████8%
Cultural Recognition██████6%
Transportation█████5%
Arts and Culture███3%
Summary of Proceedings

San José City Council Meeting – October 6, 2026

The San José City Council met on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 1:30 PM (after a Closed Session at 9:30 AM) to consider a range of items including ceremonial proclamations, routine consent calendar items, a city manager report, regulations for personal delivery devices, and two affordable housing developments. The meeting included public comments, extensive council deliberation on the delivery device ordinance, and unanimous approvals on housing items. One councilmember (Ortiz) and one (Candelas) were absent for parts of the meeting.

Ceremonial Items

  • National Arts and Humanities Month: Councilmember Campos presented a proclamation declaring October 2026 as National Arts and Humanities Month, highlighting the role of arts in community life. Shelby Takeda, chair of the San José Arts Commission, accepted the proclamation.
  • Walk & Roll to School Day: Vice Mayor Foley proclaimed October 7, 2026, as Walk & Roll to School Day, encouraging safe active transportation to schools. DOT staff noted the program has grown to 115 participating schools.
  • Filipino American History Month: Councilmember Tordillos presented a proclamation declaring October 2026 as Filipino American History Month. Alan Guig, founder and president of SJSU’s Filipino Alumni Network, accepted and announced a Filipino American History Mural unveiling on October 30, 2026.

Adjournment Recognition

The meeting was adjourned in memory of Paz Richard Rocha Jr., a lifelong San José educator, coach, and athlete. Councilmember Candelas and family members spoke about his legacy. Over 250 people attended his celebration of life.

Consent Calendar

The Council approved all consent calendar items (2.1–2.15) by a unanimous vote. Items included approval of minutes, final adoption of ordinances, council committee minutes, travel reports, the dissolution of the Bay Area Regional Interoperable Communications Systems Authority, an amendment for criminal justice system access, annexation to Community Facilities District No. 8, master consultant agreements for sewer flow monitoring, free use of the rotunda for two events, retroactive approval of the Golden State Valkyries Flag Raising, authorization of travel for the Mayor's Director of Innovation, and a board appointment to the Arts Commission.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Item 5.1 – Personal Delivery Devices:
    • Vignesh Ram (Vice President of Public Policy, Serve Robotics) expressed support, noting the company has completed hundreds of deliveries in San José, serving 34 local businesses (90% small/independent). He emphasized the environmental and congestion benefits.
    • Jonas Pierce (Coco Robotics) also expressed support, highlighting thousands of deliveries and 38 businesses served, with CO2 savings of approximately 2.5 tons.
    • Two callers spoke: one skeptical, likening the robots to failed bike-share programs; Jordan Moldow (District 3) expressed cautious optimism but raised concerns about robot weight (350 lbs), speed in bikeways, and the need for per-minute fees for blocking pedestrians.
  • Open Forum: Two speakers addressed bike lane hazards on Santa Teresa Boulevard and general appreciation for the council's work.

Discussion Items

  • Item 3.1 – City Manager Report (Verbal): City Manager Jennifer Maguire introduced Amber Hewitt as the new Director of the Office of Racial and Social Equity, effective October 25. Dr. Hewitt spoke about her background and commitment to equity. Council welcomed her.
  • Item 5.1 – Actions Related to Regulation of Personal Delivery Devices: Staff (John Russell, Ramses Madue, Laura Stutchinski) presented a proposed ordinance for sidewalk and bikeway delivery robots. Key provisions: one-year permit, $200 annual permit fee for sidewalk devices, $250 for roadway devices, 5 mph speed limit, 30-minute response for disabled devices, and a two-tier system (sidewalk permit, bikeway pilot). Vice Mayor Foley expressed strong concerns about insufficient disability community outreach, sidewalk congestion, and low fines ($100–$500). Councilmember Kamei raised concerns about device limits and scooter comparisons. Councilmember Tordillos supported the framework, noting that devices are already operating and regulation gives the city leverage. Councilmember Cohen moved approval, citing benefits and safeguards (ability to cancel permits). The motion passed 9–2 (Ortiz and Candelas absent).
  • Item 8.1 – Affordable Housing at 1510 North 1st Street: Eric Sullivan and Banu San presented a proposal for a $5.7 million loan to rehabilitate the former Comfort Suites into 57 permanent supportive housing units for extremely low-income individuals (30% AMI and below). The Santa Clara County Housing Authority is the developer. Construction is expected to start by year-end and take 12 months. Councilmember Mulcahy moved approval, noting the need for investment in the area. Motion passed unanimously (Candelas absent).
  • Item 8.2 – Arena Hotel Redevelopment and Homekey Program Transition: Staff explained a plan to convert the Arena Hotel into permanent housing through two phases: converting the existing motel and later building over 200 mixed-income units on the parking lot. The city has selected Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco as developer and will seek state approval to transfer the 30% AMI requirement to an alternative site. Councilmember Mulcahy moved to approve staff's recommendation with additional direction from a memo by Mayor Mahan and himself, requiring a progress report in six months. He noted the site's troubled history. Motion passed unanimously (Candelas absent).

Key Outcomes

  • Personal Delivery Device Ordinance: Approved 9–2. The ordinance adds Chapter 11.91 to the municipal code, establishes permit and fee structures, and creates an administrative citation schedule. A nine-month pilot for bikeway devices will be evaluated.
  • 1510 North 1st Street Housing: Approved unanimously. A $5.7 million loan commitment was authorized, with appropriation amendments from the Low and Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund.
  • Arena Hotel Redevelopment: Approved unanimously. Authorized Exclusive Negotiation Agreements with Episcopal Community Services and a backup developer, Propertyworx. Directed the city manager to return in six months with an update on state negotiations.
  • Civil Service Commission Interview: Deferred to the end of the meeting but not conducted as the meeting adjourned after open forum.

General Notes

The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:30 PM (estimated from transcript length). All votes were recorded; roll call indicated a quorum of 11 members present at the start.

Meeting Transcript

Oh, you got one. Yeah, sorry. All right. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome. I'd like to call to order this city council meeting for the afternoon of October 6th. Tony, would you please call the role? Come? Campos. Present Tordillos. Here. Cohen. Here. Ortiz. Present. Here. Duan. Here. Kendallas. Here. Casey. Here. Foley. Mayhem. Here. You have a quorum. Thank you. Once again, welcome. Now, if you're able, please stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. All right, thank you. Today's invoced by Karen Taylor, and Vice Mayor Foley will tell us more. Thank you, Mayor. I met Karen Taylor a few years ago when we participated in the American Leadership Forum in the class of 42, the best class. Karen is a frank, honest woman. She says what she means and means what she says. At ALF, I found her to be inspiring and thought provoking. Karen is retired a retired diversity officer, the current board chair for the Valley Health Foundation, and represents my district on the senior commission. I am honored that she accepted my invitation to provide an invocation for us to kick off my last few invocations. Karen, I look forward to your words. Thanks for being here.

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